I really like Julia Cameron’s advice in The Artist’s Way, to set yourself regular time out, to do things that rejuvenate your creative spirit. And of course like a great many of us, it’s my ‘time out’ that is too often sacrificed when family life takes over. But I think I can go straight to the top of the class this September, because what I need to make time for, are opportunities to grab a little culture, and so far this month, I am doing rather well…
Half way through September and I have…
Been to the Poetry Book Fair and met the brilliant Fancesca Kay (Whatever you’re planning for your garden next season, I wholly recommend obtaining a packet of her Garden Seasons – poems for year round colour & interest)
The daughters and I have strolled around the British Museum. Both daughters were overawed by the Ancient Egyptian artefacts, big and small.
Number 2 daughter successfully navigated our way from the BM to the Victoria & Albert Museum – not bad for a thirteen year-old who can still number her trips to London on the fingers of two hands.
We’ve also been to Bath. Trust us to decide to go at the same time as hoards of Jane Austen reenactment enthusiasts – it was vaguely surreal passing men and women in full Regency gear chatting on their mobile phones. Although watching them dancing in the Assembly Rooms was wonderful – practically stepping back two hundred years.
We also made our pilgrimage to Bath’s girlie paradise, Alexandra May – I’m not sure you can classify this as culture, but it certainly gives me enormous pleasure, and the girls will happily spend an hour working their way along the displays (NB: not suitable for the Other Half, well not mine anyway, he has to go off and do Man Things…)
And once we’d soaked up plenty of Georgian architecture (and played the compulsory family game of crazy golf – I lost it on the last hole, grrrrrr!), we headed off to Lacock Abbey, once famous as the birthplace of photography, then probably more famous for being a Harry Potter film venue.
The village is being promoted for its many film credits, although for those of us of a certain age, it will always remain Longbourne, from the 1995 TV series of Pride & Prejudice (the Colin Firth, wet-shirt version).
So, lots to keep me going for a week or two. And when I’m not gadding about being a culture vulture, I’m tucked up at home with my eBay find – an Old English textbook – (that’s a textbook on OE, not and old English textbook – somehow I imagine I’m going to have to brush up my grammar).
Hope your September is shaping up nicely.
-)O(-
PS: Just so you know, if you’re seeing any adverts on my blog, it’s WordPress, not me putting them there. If I’m feeling flush one of these days, I’ll go ad-free, until then, please forgive.
Mostly Motley 
Those all sound like such lovely adventures. I am particularly amused by the image of regency-clad mobile phone users. Best of luck with your OE textbook! Oh and those WordPress Ads! I don’t see them (since I am logged in as a wordpress user) but I have the same issue on my blog. Argh! I might just have to pony up and upgrade too!
This is interesting – apparently most people aren’t seeing them – will keep investigating.
I need to watch P&P again asap.
It should be available on prescription…
For years I lived in Bath, and also Melksham (very near Lacock), but (whisper this) I think I can probably count my visits to London without running out of fingers and toes.
Re. the ads. … I was reading about this elsewhere and the author was convinced that only blog authors see them … I’m here using my Blogger account and I certainly can’t see any.
Thanks for that Annie – interesting – if I access via my phone I do see ads, but of course my phone uses my account info.
Living so near to London, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the girls want to go on their own to experience it for themselves – I just want to be sure they have some idea of how to get about and be reasonably safe.
I’m using my Blogger account too and I’ve never seen any ads on your or any other WordPress blog, Anny.
Glad you found your OE textbook. Your culture vulture orgy sounds great fun and I envy you your visit to Bath, with or without Jane Austen lookalikes, as it’s so long since I was last there. Sigh…. It’s been a quiet month with us culture-wise. 🙂
Culture around here – It’s a bit like waiting for a bus – nothing all year then a sudden glut – good though.
Sending you a Blog hug and thinking of you. x
Thank you for including me in your dollops of culture! I am so glad you like the poems. I loved writing them.
They are wonderful – and I like being able to stick them in places where I see them – a brilliant idea.